Study Measures Quality Of Life For State's Blacks

January 19, 1993|by SEAN CONNOLLY, The Morning Call

The good news is that three out of four African Americans in Pennsylvania seem to be getting along quite well with their lives. The bad news is one out of four --especially young, uneducated males with low incomes -- is doing terribly.

"Overwhelmingly, the findings in this report suggest that there are two black Pennsylvanias," said Mike Young, political science professor at Penn State-Harrisburg. "One is a majority within a minority and is relatively problem-free. However, the second black Pennsylvania, a minority within a minority, is very different and very troubled."

In 1992, Penn State interviewed 512 African Americans over 18 and asked whether they experienced certain negative events in the past year. Some of the 51 negative events included whether respondents were laid off, had a close friend die or were assaulted.

Penn State officials said the survey results were supplied to Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, which could use the information in creating state laws.

The survey showed that most black Pennsylvanians, three out of four, experienced few problems in 1991. The least troubled 10 percent tended to be those who are 55 and older making $50,000 a year.

But one in four who did report negative events had multiple problems in his or her life, usually 10 or more. And the most troubled 10 percent of the African American community tended to be the youngest, the poorest and least educated.

"The young, those with low income, males, those with little education and single respondents are disproportionately represented in the most troubled 10th of Pennsylvania's African-American population," the report said.

While most black Pennsylvanians seem to be doing fine, the survey showed that they experienced more negative events than Americans as a whole. Young said the survey of black Pennsylvanians, when compared to a similar national survey of all Americans, showed:

*44 percent of black Pennsylvanians had a close friend die compared to 22 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*25 percent of black Pennsylvanians had a major worsening of their financial condition compared to 15 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*17 percent of black Pennsylvanians were unable to afford needed medical care compared to 7 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*Thirteen percent of black Pennsylvanians separated from their spouse compared to 5 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*10 percent of black Pennsylvanians were assaulted compared to 2 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*37 percent of black Pennsylvanians did not have a car compared to 12 percent of all Americans nationwide.

*21 percent of black Pennsylvanians felt discriminated against because of race, nationality, sex or a similar reason compared to six percent of all Americans nationwide.

The negative events were also given a score based on their seriousness, with more trying events receiving higher scores. For instance, being sick enough to visit a doctor received a seriousness score of 52 while being fired received a seriousness score of 73.

Black Pennsylvanians had an average seriousness score of 466, while the national average of all Americans was 288.

"The pessimist can point out that a solid minority of blacks are burdened with multiple problems: one in four blacks experienced 10 or more life events in the past year," Young said. "Moreover, the pessimist can point out that Pennsylvania blacks overall suffer twice as many problems as Americans in general."

Young declined to speculate on the effect of racism on the negative events experienced by blacks in Pennsylvania. He characterized the survey as the first objective measurement of black life in the state.